BURGLARS raided more than 974,000 homes in the 12 months ending in June - but only half of the victims were covered by insurance.

Burglary soars in winter, hitting a peak in December when unsuspecting homeowners are piling up the presents around the Christmas tree and stocking up on food and drink.

The most common targets were cash, jewellery, CDs, tapes, videos and DVDs, along with purses, wallets and credit cards. The average loss was more than £1,800.

A burglary occurs every 30 seconds in the UK but only one in 20 homes has a security system and in 25 per cent of burglaries, the thieves get in through an open door or window.

"It's no surprise that burglaries increase in winter when dark nights provide the perfect cover for thieves," said Howard Posner of Halifax General Insurance.

Despite all the warnings, however, many of us persist in leaving an open invitation to burglars. One in ten people questioned in a new security survey for the Halifax still leave spare keys under the door mat, and almost 50 per cent of households leave doors or windows ajar at night.

Steve Sandiford of Birmingham Midshires warned: "With many homes starting to fill with expensive gifts during the run-up to Christmas, it is particularly worrying."

Carl Gledhill, insurance services manager with Community Broking Group in Manchester, says almost all of us are under-insured.

He said: "A study identified the average women owns £3,000 worth of clothes and shoes but again, these are not being added to contents insurance. Women may tend to underestimate the value of belongings as the UK increasingly becomes a nation with a habit for spending on luxury items.

"The message, as with all insurance, is crystal clear - the devil is in the detail and it's up to you to find it."